(Saturday, March 18) — Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) has told GOA that she is days away from introducing a bill that will severely restrict the power of federal agencies like the BATF. The bill, which GOA helped draft, will require that federal agents first get permission from a local sheriff before they conduct an arrest.

Had a “sheriff first” bill like this been in affect three years ago, many children (in both Waco and Ruby Ridge) might still be alive today. The bill will stipulate that in attempting to apprehend a person, the feds must first get permission from the sheriff, and then continue to get approval every 48 hours. This means that if a seige gets out of hand and it becomes obvious that the feds are on a witch hunt (like at Waco and Ruby Ridge), the sheriff can simply refuse to give his permission again and tell the feds to get lost.

GOA will need your help to get cosponsors for the bill when she actually introduces it. Please stay tuned.

On another front, your faxes in response to our EPA alert has done wonders. In January we asked you to oppose the EPA’s attempts to ban lead bullets. Normally, when a federal agency receives mail in response to their proposed regulations, you will not hear from them until they make their final decision. Not this time!

The EPA told us they were bombarded with letters and e-mail from you guys. Because many of you mentioned GOA in your letters, EPA officials set up a visit with GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt to discuss the matter further. They admitted that such a meeting was out of the ordinary, but they wanted to speak to the group that had generated so much opposition to their regulations. Way to go!

We will have a report on that meeting in the upcoming April issue of The Gun Owners newsletter.

By the way, if you’re not receiving our newsletter, you can become a GOA member and start receiving the newsletter by calling 1-800-417-1486. Basic membership is $20. Our upcoming newsletter will also tell you about the dangers of the Beast (H.R. 666). And it will tell you who voted against the Volkmer amendment — an amendment to H.R. 666 which would prevent the BATF from getting a license to kick down your door.

Ask your gun dealers to join the Patriot Dollars Program: Dealers can help GOA by asking their customers to make a contribution to GOA on top of their order. In order to keep the administration of the program simple, they simply ask for a contribution of $1, $3 or $5 — money which goes to the Patriot Dollars Program to help Gun Owners of America fight gun control. (Some dealers just set up a separate product code for each contribution amount, and they have the computer total up the codes each month. The total is the check to GOA). It’s quite simple. So if you’d like to help support GOA’s fax alert, please tell your dealer friends about the Patriot Dollars Program! They can call John Velleco at GOA (703-321-8585) to get more information.

If you wish to join GOA and get the newsletter, you may call 1-800-417-1486 or 703-321-8585.